Overview
Name meaning: Arm Lizard
Time Period: Kimmeridgian (Late Jurassic)
Locations: Colorado Morrison formation
Taxonomy: Sauropoda - Titanosauriformes - Brachiosauridae
Subspecies: A. fragilis is the only undisputed species. Other species are debated: A. jimmadsen, A. europaeus, A. amplexus, A. atrox, A. maximus, and A. tendagurensis
Characteristics
Brachiosaurus has a very pleasant name to say until you realize it directly translates to Arm lizard. Named this since its forearms are drastically larger than its back legs given its height of 45 feet making it invincible to dinosaurs of the Morrison formation. Its neck also had air sacs to keep it light and not exhaust the animal. Brachiosaurus had a small crest structure adorning the top of its head which was likely to make resonating calls that other Brachiosaurus can hear over long distances. Brachiosaurus was invincible to most dinosaurs and by its large size, it’s estimated Brachiosaurus and other sauropods could live over 100 years. Their large size was great but they had to eat over 400 pounds of leaves daily to maintain their weight.
History
Giraffatitan is very similar to Brachiosaurus, for a while Giraffatitan was thought to be a species of Brachiosaurus from Africa called B. brancai but was later found to be its own species.
Media Deptictions
Jurassic Park Many audiences' first time seeing dinosaurs on the big screen was Jurassic Park Brachiosaurus leaves a lasting first impression seeing its titanic size in all of its CGI glory. The Brachiosaurus from Jurassic Park was based on Giraffatitan due to its more complete material.